Julián Aguirre-Santoro

Julián Aguirre-Santoro

Assistant Curator of Vascular Plants, Latin America Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Plant systematics and floristics

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Colombia, Brazil, Jamaica, Mexico, Peru, Ecuador, Bolivia, Suriname, Venezuela, Panama, Costa Rica

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

Wendy Applequist

Wendy Applequist

Associate Scientist, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject of interest: Plant taxonomy, medicinal plants, natural product discovery

Primary geographic interest: United States, Madagascar

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest ,Savanna, Shrubland

Matthew Austin

Matthew Austin

Curator of Biodiversity Data, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Herbaria, global change biology, hyperspectral botany, phenology, ecology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban Areas, Botanic Gardens and Herbaria

Eli Baskir

Eli Baskir

Manager of Behavioral Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Animal behavior

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Zoos

Karen Bauman

Karen Bauman

Manager of Reproductive Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: All species, especially canids and ungulates; reproduction, wildlife technologies

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Ex situ, North America, global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Zoos

Peter Bernhardt

Peter Bernhardt

Research Associate of Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Pollination; Anthophilous insects (bees, beetles, syrphid flies, butterflies and moths); flowering plant groups (orchids and other petaloid monocots), montane wildflowers of the Himalayas; Proteaceae of Australia; plant systematics and phytogeography of the floras of southern Australia; redbuds and dogwoods of Missouri; pollination in urban versus rural flora native to North America; popular illustrations and depictions of flora and their pollinators from the 19th-21st century; the history of the writings of Charles Darwin and his contemporaries on floral adaptation/evolution; bee diversity on rural versus urban trees of redbud (Cercis canadensis) and dogwood (Cornus florida) in St. Louis and its counties

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  United States (Saint Louis, Missouri, Kansas), Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia), China (Kunming, Lijiang and Yulong (Yunnan))

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savana, Shrubland, Grassland, Montane>3000m

Stephen Blake

Stephen Blake

Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology and conservation of mega vertebrates

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Congo Basin, Galapagos Islands, Central Africa, Saint Louis, MO

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

David Bogler

David Bogler

Research Associate, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant systematics, floristics, molecular systematics, anatomy, microscopy, ecology, sustainability, palynology, teaching

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA, Mexico

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest:  Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Adrianus (Jacco) Boon

Adrianus (Jacco) Boon

Professor, WashU School of Medicine

Primary subject(s) of interest: Virology and virus ecology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  USA

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Emily Bowling

Emily Bowling

Conservation Education Liaison, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Palm oil sustainability, public education, local conservation

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Tropical rainforests, Forests, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Louise Bradshaw

Louise Bradshaw

Retired Director of Education, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Climate change education, enhancing biodiversity, community-based conservation engagement, nature-based education, urban biodiversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Saint Louis region (Missouri)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban biodiversity

John Brinda

John Brinda

Assistant Scientist, Herbarium, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject of interest: Ecology, taxonomy, and conservation of bryophytes

Primary geographic area of interest: USA, Madagascar, Philippines

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

Mónica Carlsen

Mónica Carlsen

Scientist 2 - Education Program Manager, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant diversity and evolution, systematics, phylogenomics, pollination biology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Neotropics (emphasis on Mexico, Costa Rica, Colombia and Brazil)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Bruce Carlson

Bruce Carlson

Professor of Biology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Sensory and evolutionary neuroscience in electric fish

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Sub-Saharan Africa

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater

Bob Coulter

Bob Coulter

Director, Litzsinger Road Ecology Center, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Youth civic engagement and place-based education

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Tom Croat

Tom Croat

P.A. Schulze Curator of Botany, Latin America, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Systematics and Ecology of Araceae; Phenology of flowering and fruiting in tropical ecosystems

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Neotropics

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest ,Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land

Gautam Dantas

Gautam Dantas

Conan Professor in Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, WashU School of Medicine

Primary subject(s) of interest:  (1) Understanding how diverse microbiomes respond to chemical and biological perturbations, (2) harnessing these insights to rationally design therapeutic strategies to curtail antibiotic-resistant pathogens and remedy pathological microbiome states, and (3) engineering microbial catalysts to convert renewable biomass into value chemicals such as biofuels and pharmaceuticals.

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, El Salvador, Peru, Pakistan, Niger, South Africa, Republic of Congo, Netherlands, China, India

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Agricultural lands, Urban areas, Built environment

Karen DeMatteo

Karen DeMatteo

Research Affiliate, WildCare Institute at the Saint Louis Zoo / Academic Advisor, Biology Department, WashU / Conservation Detection Dog Handler/Trainer, A K9 Nose Knows

Primary subject(s) of interest: Ecology, conservation, and management of predator-prey species using noninvasive techniques

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Nebraska, and San Francisco), South America (Argentina), & Asia (Bhutan)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Monocultural plantations & fragmented ecosystems

Aimee Dunlap

Aimee Dunlap

Associate Professor, Biology Department, University of Missouri-Saint Louis

Primary subject(s) of interest: Cognitive, behavioral, and urban ecology, mechanisms of decision making, pollination and foraging in bees and flies

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land, Urban areas, Zoos

Ashley Edes

Ashley Edes

Animal Welfare Scientist, Department of Reproductive and Behavioral Sciences, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: Animal welfare, stress, behavior, endocrinology, physiology, biomarkers, animal wellbeing, visitor effects, primatology, allostatic load

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Zoos

Justin Elden

Justin Elden

Curator of Herpetology & Aquatics, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:   Herpetology, Conservation Biology, Cave Biology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Via the Saint Louis Zoo(Missouri, Armenia, Ecuador) and externally (Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ukraine, Puerto Rico)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Caves and subterranean habitats, Deserts, Urban areas, Zoos

Kate Farley

Kate Farley

Assistant Scientist, William L. Brown Center

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Ethnobotany, traditional ecological knowledge, community-based conservation, North American biodiversity, invasive species

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (Appalachia, the Ozarks)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land

David Fike

David Fike

Glassberg/Greensfelder Distinguished University Professor of Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Science, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Biogeochemical cycling in modern/ancient marine sediments and soils

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global--currently: Australia, Canada, France, French Guiana, Estonia, Lithuania, Italy, New Zealand, Namibia, Oman, Papua New Guinea, Scotland, Sweden, US

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Marine, Soils

Martha Fischer

Martha Fischer

General Curator and Director of WildCare Institute Center for Conservation in the Horn of Africa, Saint Louis Zoo WildCare Park

Primary subject(s) of interest: All Horn if Africa wildlife including Grevy's zebra, hirola, black rhino, mountain nyala, giraffe, African wild ass, and Ethiopian wolf; southeast Asian wildlife, such as banteng; local Missouri wildlife and urban biodiversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Horn of Africa, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti and Somaliland

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Savanna, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Michael Frachetti

Michael Frachetti

Professor of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropology, Archaeology, Asia, Human Ecology, Grassland ecology, Tropical jungles

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Asia-Pacific (Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Nepal)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas, Mountains

Ashley D. Franklin

Ashley D. Franklin

Program Analyst, AZA Reproductive Management Center, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: Reproductive biology and management, genetics, endocrinology, applied statistics, mammals (particularly felids and canids)

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Global; wild and captive populations

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Zoos and Aquariums

Gayle Fritz

Gayle Fritz

Professor Emerita of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Agriculture, plant domestication, archaeobotany, ethnobotany, and conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Mexico, United States (Mississippi River valley, St Louis Metro area, SE and Southwest US)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Freshwater, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Roy Gereau

Roy Gereau

Assistant Curator and Tanzania Program Director, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Floristics, plant taxonomy, and plant conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Tanzania

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Urban areas

Theresa Gildner

Theresa Gildner

Assistant Professor of Biological Anthropology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Human biology, parasitology, host-pathogen coevolution, immune function

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Ecuador, United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Agricultural land, Urban areas, Rainforest

Danelle Haake

Danelle Haake

RiverWatch Director and Stream Ecologist, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

Primary subject(s) of interest: Anthropogenic impacts on aquatic invertebrates; ecological impacts of pavement deicers; freshwater mussel population dynamics; community science; ecological epidemiology

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Robbie Hart

Robbie Hart

Director, William L. Brown Center, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Climate change impacts on plant ecology and human environmental knowledge systems; ethnobotany; montane and alpine; Madagascar; community-based conservation; food plants

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Himalaya; Hengduan/Mountains of Southwest China; Pacific Northwest; Madagascar

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Shrubland, Grassland, Agricultural land

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Julie Hartell-DeNardo

Julie Hartell-DeNardo

Kevin Beckmann Curator of Carnivores and WildCare Center for Polar Bear Conservation Director, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: Carnivore conservation, Carnidae, Felidae, Ursidae, Canidea, Pinnipedia

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Africa (Namibia, Somaliland, Tanzania, Kenya), Alaska

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Marine, Agricultural land

Heidi Hellmuth

Heidi Hellmuth

Curator of Primates, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest: Primate conservation, animal welfare, animal behavior and behavior management (enrichment and training)

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Malaysia (orangutan), Republic of Congo (chimpanzee and gorilla); I am the program coordinator for our partnerships with HUTAN in Malaysian Borneo and with the Goualougo Triangle Ape Project in Republic of Congo

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Zoos

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Erik Herzog

Erik Herzog

Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, Viktor Hamburger Distinguished Professor in Arts & Sciences, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Circadian rhythms, light pollution, preterm birth, brain cancer

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Deserts, Urban areas

Sarah Holaday

Sarah Holaday

Director of Animal Care & Conservation, Endangered Wolf Center

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Conservation

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Agricultural land

Nathan Jacobs

Nathan Jacobs

Professor, Computer Science & Engineering, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Computer Vision, Remote Sensing, Species Distribution Modeling

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts, Agricultural land, Urban areas

Ben Jellen

Ben Jellen

Associate Professor of Biological Sciences, University of Health Sciences and Pharmacy

Primary subject(s) of interest: The ecology, physiology, behavior, learning, and conservation of amphibians, reptiles and birds

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Central and eastern Missouri and central and southern Illinois

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Freshwater, Urban areas

Nisa Karimi

Nisa Karimi

Assistant Scientist, Science and Conservation Division, Africa and Madagascar Program, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest: Plant ecology & evolution, pollination biology, conservation

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Madagascar, Tanzania, South Africa

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Shrubland, Grassland, Deserts

Elizabeth (Lisa) Kelley

Elizabeth (Lisa) Kelley

Executive Director-WildCare, Director-Center for Conservation in Madagascar, Saint Louis Zoo

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Coordinating wildlife programs and evaluation, wildlife conservation, anthropology, primatology, lemurs

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Madagascar, global

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savana, Deserts

Elizabeth Kellogg

Elizabeth Kellogg

Member and Robert E. King Distinguished Investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Evolution of development, phylogenetics, grass diversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Warm places globally: Africa ,Asia, Australia, North America, South America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland

Jason Knouft

Jason Knouft

Professor of Biology, Saint Louis University; Director, Freshwater Policy Institute, National Great Rivers Research and Education Center

Primary subject(s) of interest: Freshwater Ecology, Hydrology, Environmental Change

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: North America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater

LEC Seed Grant Projects
Doug Ladd

Doug Ladd

Senior Lecturer, Sam Fox School, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Lichen taxonomy

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  North America (Interior Highlands, Great Plains, Central Tallgrass Prairie, Great Lakes)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland, Urban areas

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Kelly Lane-deGraaf

Kelly Lane-deGraaf

Associate Professor of Epidemiology, College for Public Health and Social Justice, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Disease ecology, environmental racism, population genetics

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Danielle N. Lee

Danielle N. Lee

Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University - Edwardsville

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Animal Behavior, Mammalogy, Ethology, Urban Ecology, Science Outreach, STEM Diversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest:  Mid-West United States (Saint Louis Metro area); Tanzania (Arusha)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Grassland, Urban areas

Kieran Lindsey

Kieran Lindsey

Program Director, Online Master of Natural Resources, Virginia Tech

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Urban wildlife, human-wildlife interface

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States, Midwest and Mid-Atlantic

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Urban areas

Haijun Liu

Haijun Liu

Assistant Professor, Biology Department, Saint Louis University

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Photosynthetic microbes, photosynthesis adaptation mechanisms, coral bleaching, natural light energy harvesting diversity

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: USA, global (marine, coral symbiont dinoflagellates), Mideast (Israel)

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Freshwater, Deserts, Agricultural land

Xinyi Liu

Xinyi Liu

Associate Professor of Archaeology, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Archaeology of Food, Domestication, Paleoenvironment, Food Globalization

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: China, Tibetan Plateau, Kazakhstan, Central America

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Grassland, Agricultural land, High altitude environment

LEC Seed Grant Projects

Quinn Long

Quinn Long

Director, Shaw Nature Reserve, Missouri Botanical Garden

Primary subject(s) of interest:  Conservation and restoration of rare plant species and natural communities, particularly grassland, savannah, and woodlands

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: Midwestern and Southeastern United States

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Forest, Savanna, Grassland

Bill Lowry

Bill Lowry

Professor Emeritus of Political Science, WashU

Primary subject(s) of interest: Environmental policy

Primary geographic area(s) of interest: United States (USA), Missouri and Western USA

Habitats and Ecosystems of interest: Public lands and waters